Audio 3:18
Public Service told it could do better for veterans

Michael BrissendenUpdated
Mon 24 Jun 2013, 7:25 PM AEST

A report card into how the public service is dealing with defence force personnel wounded or injured on operations abroad, says it can do better. The Department that's meant to take overall charge, Veterans Affairs, was told to do more to prevent some veterans falling through the cracks when they get home.

Transcript

PETER LLOYD: Can do better. That's the essence of a report card into how the public service is dealing with defence force personnel wounded or injured on operations abroad.

The department that's meant to take overall charge, Veterans Affairs, was told to do more to prevent some veterans falling through the cracks when they get home. The all party committee investigation was led by Senator Mark Furner - he's speaking here to defence correspondent Michael Brissenden.

MARK FURNER: I believe there is a possibility that we're yet to see the overall effect.

MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: At the moment though, I mean, do you think we're failing our veterans? Because you say far too many veterans miss out on the support to which they're entitled.

MARK FURNER: The principles in the DVA of actually making a claim are far too prescriptive. And certainly in the civvy world it's less prescriptive; you can be easily identified what type of illness or injury you have and you'll more or less determine, on the basis of that particular area, of whether you fall within an allowable claim or a non-allowable.

I think the DVA needs to be less prescriptive in terms of those particular areas so we don't have situations where people are denied access to their circumstances of their injury or illness.

MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: Now I've spoken to a number of veterans, quite a few of them who say that DVA is in fact putting barriers up in their way to getting the treatment that they need. And one who says to me: 'the general consensus going around at the moment is that DVA is there to save money not to help us'. It's a pretty damning indictment of DVA from veterans isn't it?

MARK FURNER: Yeah, we heard some similar evidence through submissions similar to that particular nature. And there certainly needs to be some areas of correction, and there needs to be better communication as well.

MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: So there is a recognition by the committee that at the moment the process is too bureaucratic and it is preventing people getting the help they need?

MARK FURNER: In - that's correct in some areas that we identified that in the report.

MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: Does is surprise you that we're at this point? I mean this is a new generation of veterans, you know, these are problems that go back to every conflict we've had. And here we are, 15 years after this latest generation, or this latest engagement, and we still have the same problems. Why?

MARK FURNER: Well look I think if you back to the likes of World War I and World War II, you know, people knew that they had problems but they weren't willing to talk about it. People are now willing to discuss their problems, willing to discuss their circumstances. And it's not just them, it's their families as well.

So it's good that some of the recommendations we are putting forward is opening up some of those barriers, so people are able to identify their problems, identify circumstances at home that aren't conducive to their environment.

And the more and more people come out and speak about these things, the more and more opportunities we'll have to identify these issues and provide as much help as possible we can for them.

MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: And are you confident this report is actually going to lead to real change?

MARK FURNER: Absolutely. I think in reflection of some of the material that I've seen in the past, this is a major step forward.